The present invention relates to a measured quantity dispenser, and more particularly to such a dispenser for dispensing flowable solids material, such as coffee beans or other frangible granules, in predetermined measured quantities or batches, and having dispensing parts slidable relative to one another and cooperating means to prevent individual solids material granules from being sheared or jammed between such parts during the dispensing operation.
Dispensers are known for dispensing flowable solids material such as frangible granules, and in particular coffee beans, which utilize a slidable drawer or receptacle in a housing provided with an overlying storage hopper. In the usual case, when the receptacle is at an inward loading position, its preselected volume is filled with a like volume measured quantity of the granules by gravity flow from the hopper, and when the receptacle is moved to an outward discharge position, the granules being dispensed are discharged therefrom.
A major problem with such known type dispensers is that, as the receptacle is moved from the inward loading position to the outward discharge position, the granules located at the intermediate zone between the top portion of the movable receptacle and the bottom portion of the overlying hopper outlet tend to become jammed between the adjacent internal surfaces and edges of the arrangement, and often are sheared or fractured between internal stationary edge portions of the dispenser housing and corresponding moving edge portions of the receptacle.
This problem is especially troublesome in the case of frangible edible granules such as coffee beans, since once sheared or fractured the natural protection offered by the intact granule is lost, and the internal contents of the granule are exposed to the adverse conditions of the environment. One detrimental result, especially critical in the case of coffee beans, is the loss of essential oils from the granules by volatilization into the atmosphere, which quantitatively diminishes the available flavor imparting ingredients therein, and another is the exposure of the remaining contents to the constituents in air, which causes oxidation of various substances present, ultimately resulting in a rancid product.
These dispensers are typically used in merchandise establishments, such as retail food stores, and no matter how delicate the manipulation of the receptacle, it is generally not possible to operate them without such jamming and shearing problem arising, especially where the attendant is in a hurry and cannot devote undue time and attention to carrying out the dispensing operation in a manner sufficiently delicate under the pressing circumstances to avoid such problem.
Moreover, where the attendant is unfamiliar with the problem, extra time must be devoted to learning how to operate the dispenser so as to minimize the stated adverse results. The situation is even worse where the dispenser is available for self-service customer use, and in this case may even lead to serious jamming thereof, requiring its repair.
Quite aside from damage to the coffee beans or other granules themselves in the dispensed product as sold, and the ensuing detriment from that source, it will be appreciated that fragments of broken granules may also lodge and collect locally in the dispenser at various dead spaces therein and eventually become stale or rancid. At a later time, due to vibrations generated during normal operation of the dispenser or its physical movement from one place to another, such stale or rancid fragments may become dislodged and find their way into the next dispensed batch of product, adulterating the same, and possibly leading to illness of the consumer partaking of the product, if not to ill will towards the retailer.
It would be desirable to provide a measured quantity dispenser of the forgoing type, permitting efficient operation without fear of shearing or jamming of the frangible granules in the system, and thus avoiding the above problem and its ensuing ramifications.